Oil-well pumping apparatus.



110.801,981. PATENTBD 0c'1.17,19o5.

11. L. Gossrz.

OIL WELL PUMPING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 4. 1904.

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EDWARD L. GOSSE, OF OHANUTE, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LOUIS A. LAUGHLIN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

OIL-WELL PUIVIPING APPARTUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1905.

Application filed October 4, 1904. Serial No. 227,121.

To {LZZ whom it nfl/ty concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. Gossn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohanute, in the county of Neosho and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oil-Well Pumping Apparatus, of which the followingr is a specification.

This invention relates to oil-well pumping apparatus, and more especially to that class utilizing compressed air for effecting the discharge of the oil from the Well, and has for its object to produce apparatus for pumping practically only a high-,grade oil-that is, oil comparatively or wholly free from sediment, sand, and particles of rock.

A further object is to produce apparatus whereby sand, small particles of rock, and other foreign substances may be shot from the well when the capacity of the latter has fallen in an undesirable degree because of the excessive accumulations in the well of such relation to a well.

foreign substances.

A still further object is to produce oil-well pumping apparatus comprising a chamber to receive the oil and provided at its lower end with an opening, and a movable oil-discharge pipe to receive the oil from said chamber, having a valve at its lower end to normally close said oil discharge or exit opening, together with means whereby any accumulation of sand and other foreign particles may be forced out of said chamber and shot from the well` Another object is to produce an oil-pumping apparatus which is of simple, strong,and durable construction, which can be easily secured in or removed from position, and which as compared with the results of its use is inexpensive.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization, as hereinafter described and claimed, and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to 'be had to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of an oil-well pumping apparatus embodying my invention, the same being shown in-operative Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the lower part of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the upper part of the same.

In producing an oil-well a boring 1 is made in the usual manner, the same extending down into the oil-bearing sand 2 and almost invariably through astratum of'rock, as at 3, encountered before such sand is reached. The well is then shot by means of a charge of nitroglycerin lowered a suitable distance into such sand and exploded, the result being that a large volume of sand mixed with pieces of rock and other foreign particles is discharged upward through the boring, and a well 4 is produced in the sand, which well is soon filled with oil, as at 5L A casingin the form of a pipe 6, or rather a series of pipes connected together, is fitted with a substantially oil-tight joint in the boring and usually extends down through the same into the stratum of rock just above the oil-bearing sand, as the boring need not be equipped with the casingin the rock 3, it being understood, of course, that if earth is encountered between the stratum and oil-bearing sand the casing must also extend through such earth. Practically all wells are equipped with the casing described.

Extending down through the casingprobably to about the plane of the upper surface of the oil-bearing sand and of materially less diameter than said casing is a pipe 7, the upper end of said pipe being attached, by preference, to an L-coupling v8, having an opening ,9 in line with its vertical center and having its horizontal arm coupled to apipe lO, leading from a suitable air-pressure apparatus.- (Not shown because of common and well-known construction.) The lower end of said pipe 7is secured rigidly in a nut 11, forming an enlargementfor said pipe, and depending rigidly from said nut, and of preferably twice the diameter of pipe? is a casing 12, said casing being of length to extend nearly to the bottom of the well, by preference, and secured to the end of said casing is a cap 13, providedywith a central valve-seat opening .14. The casing is provided at a suitable distance above its lower end with one or more openings 154 for the admission of oil, and controlling said openings are pivoted or equivalent Hap-valves 16, said valves being adapted to open under the pressure of the oil from the well and to close under a heavier pressure applied within the casing.

17 designates a pipe of materially smaller TOO diameter than and extending through pipe 7, the opening 9 of coupling 8, and the packingbox 18 thereof, said pipe 17 terminating' contiguous to the bottom of the casing. Surmounting pipe 17 is a T-coupling 19, Ycontrolled` by a three-way valve 20, and con-` nected to the opposite end of the coupling from pipe 17 is a pipe 21 to conduct the oil toa suitable storage-tank or other receptacle, (not shown,) a pipe 22 connecting' the stem of the coupling to the air-pressure apparatus hereinbefore referred to. Near its lower end pipe 17 is provided with an intake-opening 23 and below the same carries rigidly a valve 24, normallyseated in and closing opening 14, the valve being provided with an upwardly-tapering portion 25 and with a depending prong or point 26 for purposes which hereinafter appear.

With an apparatus 4as thus constructed and arranged it will be apparent that the oil from` the well will seek its level in the casing by entrance through valve-controlled openings l--that is, of course, when air is not being4 forced down through pipe 7 or through said y pipe and pipe 17. To effect the discharge of .otherwise be required.

oil into the tank or other receptacle, valve 20 is disposed as shown in full lines, Fig. 3, and the air is forced down through pipe 7 into the casing and upon the body of oil therein. This pressure of the air upon the oil forces the same downward and closes Valves 16, so that the oil from the casing and that which stands at the same level in pipe 17 shall be forced up through said pipe, valve 20, and pipe 21 to the tank or other receptacle, this action continuing until practically the entire volume of oil has been forced out of the casing. As the air-pressure to effect the purpose described will vary according to the depth of the wellkthat is, will have to increase as the depth of the wells increase-it will be apparent that an exceedingly-heavy pressure will be necessary to effect the discharge of oil from very deep wells. I have found, however, by discharing a small proportion of said air into pipe 17 at a suitable distance above the opening 23, and preferably above the level of the oil, that the oil can be raised and discharged under a pressure of air materially less than is necessary when such division of air does not take place, and to accomplish this result I preferably provide pipe 17 with a small hole or leakage-passage 27. If thehole occurs above the oil-level, the air passing therethrough in pipe 17 tends to create a vacuum, and therefore to remove atmospheric pressure from the path of the oil and as a result the whole body of oil will be discharged with less pressure than would In time the well will fill up with loose sand and other foreign substances-to such an yextent that the flow of oil into the casing will be materially checked, and consequently diminish the volume of oil obtained. When this occurs, the person in charge of the apparatus operates valve 2O to close pipe 21 and open communication between pipes 19 and 22 and vthen in any suitable manner lifts pipe 17' to raise valve'24 from its seat.

well andl blows the loose sand and other small foreign particles, together with oil, out of the well and up through the casing externally'of pipe 7. This oil, sand, and other foreign particles may be caught in any suitable manner for the purpose of saving the oil or may go to waste, as the cost of saving and straining said oil may exceed its value. It will be obvious, of course, that this operation will result in forcing any sand or foreign particles out ofthe casing which may have entered the same through the valve opening or openings` 15, and in order to prevent any foreign particles from being blown up into pipe 17 it is preferable to force the air down through said pipe at the same time that it passes through pipe 7. After the well has been thus cleared of obstructions to the proper iiow of oil into the casing the valve 24 is reseated and the position of valve 2O reversed, so that the apparatus is again ready for pumping oil.

In a well about eight hundred feet deep the one-inch pipe 17 will be so heavy that valve 24 will reliably maintain its seat by gravity, and because of this Weight it will be apparent that it is desirable to have the upper part of the valve taper, as at 25, so that any sand which may be in the casing will not be resting directly on the valve and add materially to the weight to be raised in unseating the same. It will also be apparent by reason of the weight of the pipe that when the valve is lowered it will resume its seat properly, because any loose sand which might fill up the bottom of the casing will be penetrated and pushed aside easily by the depending point 26, and thus afford no material obstruction to the reseating of the valve.

It has been demonstrated in actual practice by having' the valve opening or openings 15 at a material distance above the bottom of the well that practically nothing' but highgrade or pure oil is obtained-in fact, practically all sediment is below the valve-openings, and therefore does not enter the casing. 1t

is to be understood; however, that if the oil is pumped before it has time to settle properly after the well is shot for the purpose of removing clogging material, as hereinbefore explained, it may contain more or less floating sediment or foreign matter, and in such casewould have to be graded. By waiting a The air now passes downV through pipe 7 and into casing 12, as before,- and passes thence through opening 14 into the IOO IIO

comparatively short time, however, the sediment will settle in the well to a point below the opening or openings 15, and the oil obtained will not need grading.

In setting up the apparatus the casing is first secured upon the end of pipe 7 and then lowered in place and is of course secured in the desired position in any suitable manner. The pipe 17 is then equipped with the valve and is lowered to position, the valve being' of such diameter that it will pass through pipe 7.

It is preferred that the internal diameter of casing 12 and pipes 7 and 17 shall respectively be four inches, two inches, and one -inch, though I do not limit myself to such relative proportions of the parts nor to the use of a casing separate from pipe 7, as said casing in reality forms a part of said pipe. In fact, said casing need not be of any greater diameter than the pipe, though it is preferred to make it larg'er. l

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced an oil-Well-pumping apparatus possessing the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the object of the invention and which obviously may be modified in various particulars without departing from the principle of construction involved.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. An oil-pumping apparatus, comprising a pipe, having an opening at its extreme lower end and one or more valve-controlled openings above the first-named opening, and a pipe extending through the iirst-named pipe and provided with an opening near its lower end and with a valve normally closing the opening in the lower end of the lirst-named pipe.

2. An oil-pumping apparatus comprising an air-tubing provided in its lower end with a blow-out opening and above said end with a valve-controlled opening for the admission of oil, and an oil-discharge tube within the airtubing provided with an oil-passage near its lower end, the lower extremity of the said oil-discharge tube constituting a valve normally closing the blow-out opening in the lower end of the air-tubing.

3. An oil-pumping apparatus, comprising a pipe, having an opening at its lower end, and one or more valve-controlled openings above the lirst-named opening, and a pipe extending through the first-named pipe and provided with an opening near its lower end and a valve normally closing the first-named opening of the iirst-nained pipe, said valve having a part depending through said first-named opening and below the lirst-named pipe.

4. An oil-pumping apparatus, comprising' a pipe, having an opening at its lower end, and one or more valve-controlled openings above the first-named opening, and a pipe extending through the first-named pipe and provided with an opening near its lower end and a valve normally closing the first-named opening of the first-named pipe; said last-named valve having an upwardly-tapering portion and a part depending through said first-named opening and below the first-named pipe.

5. An oil-pumping apparatus, comprising'a pipe,acasing depending rigidly from the lower end of said pipe and provided at its extreme lower end with a blow-out opening and above said end with one or more valve-controlled openings, a pipe extending loosely through the first-named pipe and into said casing and having an opening near its lower end, and a valve secured rigidly to the lower end of the last-named pipe andnormally closing said blow-out opening.

6. An oil-pumping apparatus, comprisinga pipe having a blow-out opening at its extreme lower end and one or more valve-controlled openings above the blow-out opening, and a pi pe extending loosely through the first-named pipe and having a leakage-passage a suitable distance above its lower end, an opening near its lower end and a valve depending from its lower end and normally closing the blow-out opening of the first-named pipe.

7. An oil-pumping apparatus, comprising a pipe,a casing depending rigidly from the lower end of said pipe and provided at its extreme lower end with a blow-out opening and above said end with one or more valve-controlled openings,'a pipe extending loosely through the first-named pipe and into said casing and having an opening near its lower end and a leakage-passage a suitable distance above the casing, and a valve secured rigidly to the lower end of the last-named pipe and normally closing the blow-out opening.

8. An oil-pumping apparatus, comprisinga pipe having an opening at its lower end and one or more valve-controlled openings above the first-named opening, a pipe extending through the first-named pipe, provided with an opening near its lower end and a valve normally closing the Jfirst-named opening of the first-named pipe; said second or inner pipe projecting up through and out of the firstnamed pipe, a pipe to conduct air under pressure into the first-named pipe externally of the inner pipe, a pipe to conduct air under pressure into the upper portion of the inner pipe, and a valve to cut oii the escape of such air from the upper end of said inner pipe.

9. An oil-pumping apparatus, comprising a pipe having an opening at its lower end and one or more valve-controlled openings above the first-named opening, a pipe extending through the first-named pipe provided with an opening near its lower end and a valve normally closing the first-named opening of the first-named pipe; said second o1' inner pipe projecting' up through and out of the first- IOO IIO

named pipe, a pipe to conduct air under prescommunication of the same with the conductsure into the first-named pipe externally of ing-pipe. IO the inner pipe, a pipe to conduct air under In testimony whereofIafiX mysignature in pressure into the upper portion of the inner the presence of two witnesses.

pipe, and a three-way valve located to open 4 EDWARD L. GOSSE. communication between the conducting-pipe Witnesses:

and the inner pipe below said valve, or to open H. C. RODGERS,

up the passage of the inner pipe and close G. Y. THORPE. 

